Tuesday, June 27

The up-armoured and up-gunned 37mm Pak 36 Krupp Protze field modification was not well known, but this looks like an interesting model that has finally been captured in 35th scale injection moulded plastic by Bronco Models. We have a full feature set of the kit & a few bits and pics of the real thing way back when to whet the appetite...

The L 2 H 43 and L 2 H 143 "Krupp-Protze" (unofficial designation) was a six-wheeled 6x4 German truck and artillery tractor produced between 1934 and 1941 and heavily used in World War II. It was powered by a 55 hp or, from 1936, 60 hp Krupp M 304 4-cylinder petrol engine. Its main purpose was to tow artillery, especially the PaK 36, and transport motorized infantry.

This vehicle was extensively used on the Eastern Front, during the North African campaign and in France and Sicily. The "Krupp-Protze" was of relatively advanced design. Its fuel consumption was relatively high (24 Litres / 100 km on road) in comparison to the comparable Opel Blitz 1.5 t truck (16.5 litres / 100 km, produced 1938 - 1942). Total production was about 7,000 units.

The most common variant was the Kfz.69 used to tow the 3.7cm PaK.36 anti-tank gun and carried its crew and ammunition. Some trucks mounted the 3.7cm Pak.36 on the rear cargo bed as a simple self-propelled gun which could quickly be brought into action. The Pak 36 was the standard anti-tank gun as Germany began the war in 1939. It was good against light tanks but could not penetrate heavier tanks such as the British Matilda and the French Somua S35.

Some of the "Protze SPG's" were given plate armour over the front of the truck to protect against small arms fire. However, this increased the weight of the vehicle and performance was degraded. These improvised vehicles were quickly replaced by heavier SPG's built on tank hulls after 1942. This is the model that Bronco has given us in this release.

The Kit from BroncoThis little -known field modification is offered for the first time in injection moulded plastic. It is a smart adaptation to the Protze, and we can see a lot more coming based on this truck in the future.

Here are the 3D renders of this vehicle from Bronco

Let's look a little at Bronco's product brochure about this kit and see some of the quite interesting features this model offers.

Decals options of this kit come straight from the box as well as a small photo-etched sheet